"The Clear Choice"

EAST BAY EXPRESS ENDORSES!

In Oakland's city council District Two race, Abel Guillen is the clear choice, and we think he'll make a terrific addition to the council, because he's a born legislator. In fact, we endorsed him in 2012 for state Assembly because of his progressive positions and clear understanding of local and statewide issues. And this year, no other candidate in the race to replace longtime Councilmember Pat Kernighan even comes close to him. That's why Kernighan has also endorsed the longtime member of the Peralta Community College board of trustees.

We're concerned about the candidacy of former TV news anchor Dana King, who has been endorsed by the chamber of commerce. Most of the polls so far have shown King, a moderate, with a sizable lead — probably because of her strong name recognition. But King is a recent arrival to the city and is ill-informed on the issues. For example, on the campaign trail, she has made the bogus claim that many downtown businesses have yet to recover from Occupy Oakland, when, in fact, there is no evidence that Occupy had any lasting economic impact on the area. We think either of the other two candidates — Andrew Park and Kevin Blackburn — in the race would be a better choice than King.